Paris 2024 Spotlight: Mark Staniforth, Olympics Correspondent

In the run up to the much anticipated Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we will put the spotlight on the key players at PA who will be responsible for delivering coverage direct from Paris.

First up is Olympics Correspondent, Mark Staniforth. This will be Mark’s fifth summer Olympics. We ask him how this summer’s Games will differ from the Tokyo Games where testing and isolation were the norm, plus who are the stars from Team GB to look out for, and much more.

Tokyo 2020 felt very much like it was the Covid Olympics with quarantine and testing measures – what do you think will be the defining talking point about the Paris 2024 games?

Starting with its audacious plan to stage the opening ceremony down the River Seine, Paris should be all about throwing off the shackles and bringing back the sense of freedom that was missing from the delayed Tokyo Games and even more from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Tokyo marked a real watershed moment for the Olympic movement, presenting it with an even bigger problem than the boycotts that blighted Moscow and Los Angeles in the early 1980s. Expect lots of trumpeting about redemption and resilience, but even more, a sense of fun.

Who will be the ones to watch from Team GB?

Returning stars will form the core of Team GB’s challenge in Paris, especially in the pool where reigning champions Tom Dean – aiming to win five medals and become Britain’s most decorated athlete in a single Games – and Adam Peaty will be going for gold again. On track, Keely Hodgkinson will be looking to turn silver into gold, while Max Whitlock targets a third straight gymnastics gold. Teenager Sky Brown will head to Paris as a reigning skateboard world champion, while Delicious Orie is a new face to conjure with as he aims to extend Britain’s proud record in super-heavyweight boxing.

And what individuals do you think could draw headlines across the whole games? Are there any newcomers, comebacks, or athletes who the spotlight will be on?

Few stars will shine as brightly in Paris as Simone Biles, the four-time Olympic champion whose hopes of increasing that haul in Tokyo were hit by a debilitating psychological issue which caused her to take a two-year hiatus from the sport. Biles has since returned to top form and will once again head to the French capital as an outstanding favourite. Fellow American Noah Lyles will aim to prove he’s the rightful heir to Usain Bolt by landing the men’s sprint double, while few host nation hopes will be as bid as judoka Teddy Riner, who has won gold at each of the last three Olympics.

Can you give us a window into what PA’s editorial coverage will look like?

PA is sending eight sports reporters to the Games – four men and four women – each of whom boast their own particular areas of expertise. Coverage will focus both on British medal hopes and international stars, and we will have an almost permanent presence at poolside, trackside and in the cycling velodrome.

What will an average day look like for you?

Average days will be long but rewarding with each reporter prepared to react to unexpected events, be they unlikely medals or unexpected incidents. At every Games I’ve covered, at least one unlikely podium place has popped up where we least expected it, prompting a late dash across the city in search of that first interview.

As a spectator, what are you most looking forward to at this year’s games?

Personally, I always look forward to taekwondo, in which Team GB has a successful and dramatic history, full of gold medals and late agonies. I’ve followed Max Whitlock through each of his last two gold medal successes and, along with the Simone Biles factor, that’s going to make the gymnastics arena the place to be. Also, I’ll be heading to Marseille during the Games in the expectation of reporting on more success from the Olympic sailing regatta.

Get in touch here to discuss your coverage requirements for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.